Here's a more detailed explanation of
Vektren's Pack religious aspects.
Genesis & The Great War
"A maggot fights their inner evil, but a vektreni unleashes it on their enemy."
Vektren does not scorn the existence of other Gods - they simply worship the so called Shunned Ones. Xibalten walks among the realms ever since the arrival of the
First (all the creators that, together, form the greater pantheon of life). It is easy to any God to claim themselves creators of good and carry the honor of such - but She took the most grim of duties, and embraced the deep and dark world of the evil. The Lady who would take care of all the creations gone wrong.
In the realm beyond this where the mortals roam, namely the
Void, an eternal battle between control and havoc ensues. The Underworld is the neverending prison of the wicked and the damned, the spirits who shall never trespass into the thinner and delicate layers of the spiritual world are locked within it. However, they do attempt to break prison, attacking constantly the gates of the Void.
The Lady reached out to the misfits of the living realm for help, as She was not made of bright and light and was often casted aside by the rest of the First and their subjects. But in the darkest corners of the mortal world she found love and devotion, and used it as tool to keep the Void under control. However, tough her servants fed the Void with many soldiers, they were frenzied and uncontrolled - She had power over them, but she had no grip to keep them at bay.
Her answer was also found between the mortals, and from them, she picked one to be her mate and General, that would make possible for them to rule the underworld.
Senisteros was now the mighty overlord and commander of the battle, responsible for leading the great army. All souls sent to the Gods of Vektren through the Heart Offering become soldiers, and join the Dread Father into the eternal battle against the evil that crave to devour the world, and the vektreni themselves eventually find a favored place at the Lord's side in the battle.
Xibalten - the Mother
"Heed the words of Shadow Mother: The best weapon of Vektren is the mind of a steel-souled warrior."
Also referred to as "Shadow Mother", "Night Lady" or simply "Mother", Xibalten is Senisteros’s spouse and a motherly figure to Vektreni. Lady of luck, prosperity and wisdom, she is considered the keeper of all knowledge and priestess of death.
Xibalten is responsible for guiding her children into the path of wisdom, and aids their stealth among the shadows, ruling over the winds and air and its direction to grant them required subtlety. She is also known for materializing through dreams with cryptic messages to offer enlightenment to her subjects into their path of Servitude.
However her blessings are not a free privilege, and she requires tributes in return for her gracious favors. The pack's success in their divine endeavor assures safety and the Lady's satisfaction, whereas failure to follow her demanded ways brings the wrath upon the servants. When Vektren fails she is the one to punish by bestowing
the Purge upon the pack.
Xibalten is commonly depicted as an indigo colored wolf with poisonous snake fangs and feline paws, marks of her venerated knowledge of the world, grace, mystery and subterfuge. Unlike Senisteros, she was there before all time, born during the formation of the cosmos, far beyond any mortal's comprehension and tied to the Shadows - their creator.
Senisteros - the Father
"Fear not the specter of death, for He is the Herald of glory and your guide to the great Void."
Also known as "Dread Father", "Lord of Death" or simply "Father", Senisteros is the shepherd of death and warden of evil spirits - the great revered guardian of the gates on the underworld. Sign of protection and strength to his subjects, he's often held as a father-like figure to the vektreni, the Dread Father guards the mortal realm from the evil and the unworthy souls, protecting his subjects from omens and misfortune. He was not born a God, but rose from mortality to godhood after remarkably proving his worth.
Senistero's image is typically depicted as an enormous black wolf with buffalo horns and giant black raven wings - the buffalo horns symbolizing his tenacity, strength and power, and the raven wings his everlasting reach, wits and strategical prowess. Although the original image of the Lord was sometimes altered across generations, Vektren currently worships the ancient and very first one.
Clerics often debated if the figure of Senisteros should stay as close to wolfkind as possible, while others defended his peculiarities as defining marks of his divinity. Ultimately, each wolf is welcome to worship the Father whatever way closest to their hearts.
Minor religions possibly branched from the ancient Vektren, and it's not uncommon the existence of Senisteros in other packs culture's, even with different nomenclatures.
Senisteros' ascendancy to Godhood:
The story that leads to the mysterious wolf that was once mortal but rose to be a God is clouded by uncertainty and skepticism, but is no less admirable. Though much in this tale was forgotten or vanished across the ages, it all begins with a wolf whose ambition and tenacity was hardly matched. The first cultists were cruel, vicious and reckless and barely understood the concept of brotherhood, despite being devout followers of the lady Xibalten - until the Dark One came.
The Dark One had an infinite hunger for power, yet he was no fool. Though alone he was more than capable of overthrowing any wolf that dared to confront him, he also knew that sovereignty was dangerous if not tread lightly. Instead of ruling his follow by fear, the wolf gathered many under his will with loyalty and trust, and an army was built under his name. Together, they conquered many.
Xibalten grew jealous of this feeble mortal's fame and praise. Even if power was gained under her name, it was
his that the subjects whispered when looking for strength. But the Lady was not unwise. With the great gates of the underworld being assaulted with increasing force, she needed a General - someone whose both courage and power would force the Protectors to obey. And she picked the Dark One as her undying mate.
The mortal, hearing the whispers from his Lady and her invitation to share the throne of the Void, thought not a second further - he willingly sacrificed himself to their cause during battle, defeated only after days of continuous fighting and the increasing hunger and wounds on his mortal cage, and of course, bringing with him many other sacrifices to Xibalten. His heart was offered to Her, and as his soul descended to limbo, She made him a God.
He was then
Senisteros, Father of Vektren and General of Xibalten, great leader of the Void and commander of its guardians.
He whose name was forgotten.
Tenets of the Spirit & The Purge
"Pray not for peace, for such is the wish of the weak and cowardly."
Tenets of the Spirit:- Never dishonor the Gods. To do so is to invoke the wrath of Xibalten, bringing the curse upon the pack and marking the day of the Purge;
- Never desecrate the hallowed altars or the sanctified pool. To do so is to dishonor the Gods;
- Never refuse to offer an owned heart, or give it any other end but the rightful ritual. To do so is to dishonor the Gods;
- Never disregard, assail, steal or kill a brother or sister, as vektreni are bound by the sacred blood. To do so is to dishonor the Gods;
- Never betray Vektren or/and its secrets. To do so is to dishonor the Gods.
The existence of Vektren comes and goes. When the Gods are dishonored, a curse is released upon the current pack, eliminating all its unworthy members except for those seedlings of a new era, an event called
the Purge. The survivors, mainly the chosen Master/Mistress, are responsible to restore Vektren and raise it back to its former glory, paying repentance for previous sins and honoring the Gods once again. At each time Vektren is reborn, some aspects of the old ways is lost, but the religious core of it remains intact for generations since the ancient pack.
Eternal Servitude
"It is duty of each wolf to live with courage and honor, lest he fade forgotten into nothingness."
After completing the initiation ritual, a vektreni is now forever tied to the Gods. Everything is made to honor Their name, and no other wolves but pack mates are worthy of such devotion; the brotherhood turns into one's main reason to live, and so the duties performed.
It's common to refer their existence after the initiation as 'servitude', be it in the world of the living or the dead - when a vektreni passes, the deeds performed during life will be judged by Xibalten: a valued member will join deceased brothers and sisters as spirits of protection, working from outer realm into this one to help those who still serve, like smaller aspects of luck and fate. When not required in the realm of the living, they fight at Senisteros' side at the great gates of the Void.
To cast away from Senisteros' reach is to lose your favored position at His side in after-life. Unworthy member becomes mere soldiers in the eternal battle, devoid of any honor, and slaved to Senisteros will with no greater purpose. These, like the sacrificed pawns, cannot rise to grandeur and remain mere slaves until their ethereal existence is ceased by one of the minions of evil during battle.
In other words, a vektreni is expected to make their living time worthwhile, otherwise, punishment awaits after death.
